Ficticious Truths
by DracoPrincess01
Summary: Story will focus primarily on Willow and Tara. A new mysterous creature stumbles into town, causing some stess between our two wiccans. How will they cope?
1. Chapter 1  Tall, Light and Handsome

_Chapter One: Tall, Light and Handsome_

_She who hangs out in cemeteries... _

"Why don't vampires hang out in malls? It would make my night that much more fun..." Buffy muttered to herself as she moved through the tombstones.

The night was chilly in Sunnydale, a light breeze caused a rustle in the trees. Buffy rubbed her arms together trying to stay warm.

_At least I could get a little window shopping done._

The sound of a stick breaking caused her to pause mid-step. She put down her arms and scanned the tree line. A dark shadow moved across her vision to the right, the opposite side of where she had heard the sound. She heard a rustle behind her, too loud for the wind to have caused it.

"Sounds like a party tonight," she said as a vampire stepped out from the trees, "do you think I'm invited?"

The vampire slowly advanced, snarling slightly at her jest. Buffy removed a stake from her sleeve and advanced towards the vampire cautiously. She moved to the right, keeping an eye out for the other vampires she knew were lurking about.

The vampire lunged at her, attempting to tackle her at the knees. Buffy saw the attack coming, and somersaulted over him, springing back on her feet before he even had a chance to turn around. "You know, that wasn't very polite..." Buffy started as another vampire grabbed her from behind. She head- butted him and flipped him over her head.

The two vampires, now in front of her began another approach. Aware that other vampires might still be lurking in the forest behind her, Buffy attempted to move around the vampires so that her back wouldn't be to it. She stepped towards her first attacker, landing two solid punches to his face and a roundhouse kick to the second. Before having time to recover, she staked the first and started her approach on the second.

"The wasn't very nice of you Slayer," a voice said from behind her.

Buffy stopped her advance and turned around, suddenly noticing that there were more vampires then she initially realized. She eyed the vampire who had spoken. He was tall, and clad all in white. He rose his hand, signalling to the vampire now behind Buffy not to attack. The vampire skirted the Slayer and stood beside his supposed leader.

"I liked Tomas. He was smart, although I guess his hunger proved too much for him tonight," the vampire chuckled.

As Buffy gazed at the vampires before her, she guessed that there were at least 8, although she couldn't see far into the dense forest behind them.

_This party might just be a bit too rowdy for me tonight_ she thought.

"Just so you know, your fashion sense is horrible Mr. Tall vampire-undead-guy. First of all, you're a vampire, and vampires don't like the light...so why are you all dressed in white? Second of all, it's after Labour day, and everyone knows not to wear white after Labour Day," Buffy said while trying to figure a way out of the situation.

"I heard that you liked to make jokes, although the joke does seem to be on you tonight, doesn't it Slayer? Obviously there are more vampires than you can handle, which means a bad night for you. Aren't you curious as to why you're not dead yet?" He asked, completely ignoring the remarks about his clothing.

"Fine. I'll play along. Why am I not dead yet?" Buffy responded, feigning a bored tone and attempting to buy a bit more time. She noticed the vampires behind the leader pressing forward, although none of them dared attack her just yet. The fact that such a large group of vampires were massed together was odd, let alone the fact that they were successfully working together.

Buffy took a few steps to the right as the leader spoke. She flipped the stake around in her hand as he began. "You are not dead because I do not want you to be dead," he said gazing back at all of his followers and nodding at each of them.

"I am Lord Rahl, leader of the..." he said turning back to face her. He looked down, suddenly noticing the stake now protruding from his chest. "How...?"

"You know, I don't really care who you are...uh...were..." she said drawing her second stake from her back pocket. The vampire exploded into dust as the other vampires leaped forward no longer under the control of their leader.

Just as she landed her first kick, Buffy noticed a large figure moving out of the trees. Not having time to figure out what it was, she turn and punched a vampire approaching from behind. A female vampire grabbed her hair from behind, forcing her head back and causing her to cry out. "Watch the hair!" Buffy said reaching behind her and grabbing the vampire's hands from her scalp. She flipped the female over her head and staked her on the ground. Two vampires jumped on to Buffy's back and attempted to pin her on the ground. She tried to fight them off, but more vampires soon piled on.

Buffy managed to stake another one and landed a kick to another one's knees, but she wasn't able to regain her footing. "You know Slayer, I'm glad you killed Lord Rahl. Now I don't have to wait to eat you," the vampire directly on top of her said. He moved in to bite her, roughly forcing her head to the side. Buffy managed to get one of her hands free and grabbed the vampire by the neck keeping him mere inches away from his goal.

All of a sudden, the vampires on top of her were pushed off, falling to the right. Buffy quickly jumped up and staked two who had already gotten to their feet. She spun around kicking another one in the gut. The sound of tearing could be heard behind her. She saw a vampire's body explode into dust on her right, his head following suit a few moments after. She tried to turn and see who had killed him, but was caught off guard by a punch to the face. She landed her punches to the vampire in front of her, as she heard the sounds of fighting behind her. She quickly staked him and turned around to face the others.

The other two vampires were gone.

"Thanks for the help" Buffy said, scanning the tree line, trying to figure out who had helped her. Her gaze suddenly stopped on the shape not ten feet from her.

"Oh..."


	2. Chapter 2  Midnight Snack

_Chapter Two: Midnight Snack_

Buffy stood absolutely still, totally unsure what to do. A few moments passed before she finally spoke.

"Well I guess a 'thanks' are in order. You definitely saved me there" she said eyeing the body up and down.

The figure didn't respond, but slowly sat down, its eyes never leaving hers.

"Can you talk?" She questioned. "Of course you can't talk," Buffy muttered back at herself. Having no idea what to do, and not sensing any danger, she took a few steps backwards.

"Well, ummm, thanks again for the...uh...help. I'm gonna head home now..." Buffy said slightly turning away. The figure stood up again and took a step towards her. Buffy turned back and eyed the creature.

_Its beautiful_ Buffy thought. The creature took a few tentative steps towards the Slayer. Buffy slowly reached behind her and removed another stake. _It may be beautiful, but it still looks deadly_. She brought the stake to her side and held it in a relaxed grip.

Noticing the movement, the form stopped and sat down again. Now only five feet away, Buffy's body was tense as the creature slowly laid down. The body stretched nearly seven feet long, with its eyes never leaving hers. Its head slowly moved down, resting its chin on the ground. Buffy watched the whole graceful movement, completely unsure what to do.

She waited, and then took a step forward.

The creature didn't move.

Another step - no response.

Now, so close that Buffy could touch it, she knelt down in front of its large head. The creature still didn't respond.

"You're beautiful," Buffy said out-loud this time. Sensing no aggression or fear from the creature, she slowly reached out and put her hand on its head. Buffy released the stake from her other hand, and let it fall to the ground. She looked in its eyes. The creature looked back.

"Thank you" Buffy sincerely said again, "but I need to get back to my sister." The head nodded slightly, as if understanding what the Slayer had said. Buffy grabbed her stake, stood up and backed up a few steps.

She turned and started to head back home, noticing that the creature followed quietly behind.

_I wonder what Giles will think of my new pet?_ Buffy thought and smiled to herself.

"Dawn shouldn't you be in bed already?" Willow asked.

"It's Friday night Will, let the munchkin stay up however late she wants," Xander responded, winking at Dawn as he said so. "Don't be such a party-pooper," he said, throwing a handful of popcorn at Willow.

"Mr. Xander Harris!" Willow said, "there will be no throwing popcorn in the house." Willow grabbed a handful of jellybeans and whipped them across the room. Two landed perfectly inside his glass.

"Hey! Just because Buffy left you in charge doesn't mean there won't be a mutiny!" He quickly responded, setting his drink down and tackling Willow on the couch.

"Hold her down! Tickle her!" Dawn shouted from the sidelines as a tickle fight ensued. Xander had a hard time trying to hold Willow down and tickle her at the same time. Dawn cheered them on from the sidelines.

"EXCUSE ME!" A loud female voice suddenly said. Everyone froze. "There will be no touching of my boyfriend in his special places. I don't care if you're a lesbian, you could still revert back to the old straight Willow, and steal Xander." Anya finished entering the room, holding another bag of popcorn.

"First off Anya, I was SOOO not touching him in his 'special place'. And second of all, there will be no reverting of any kind." Willow responded staring her down. Xander quickly got off and scurried to Anya's side. Willow resumed her place next to Tara on the couch.

"I like my women," Willow said grasping Tara's hand.

"And I like my Anya," Xander stated, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend.

"Well good. That settles it then. Willow can touch Tara's special places, and I can touch Xander's, but no sharing." Anya concluded, taking a seat with Xander on the floor.

"Well I'm glad that's settled," Dawn said rolling her eyes. She hit the play button on the VCR, and sat on Tara's other side.

"Which one did you pick Dawn?" Tara said, folding her legs on the couch.

"The Never Ending Story," Dawn responded. "I figured we should watch the scariest one first."

"Dawn, The Never Ending Story is NOT a scary movie," Anya said. "Alice in Wonderland with that crazy rabbit who keeps running around is MUCH scarier."

"Well I think that..." Dawn didn't have time to finish, as the front door opened.

"Hey guys, I'm home." Buffy said taking off her jacket. She didn't close the door as she took a few steps towards the living room.

"How was the slaying Buff?" Xander queried, stuffing another handful of popcorn in his mouth.

"How many did you get?" Dawn asked before she had time to answer.

"It was actually a rough night," Buffy responded, rubbing her aching scalp.

"Well you do look a bit beat up. And your hair is all over the place..." Anya started in.

Everyone froze.

Buffy saw the look on everyone's faces and figured that the creature had finally entered the house.

She saw that it was at her side, gazing at everyone in the room.

Xander's mouth was open, popcorn falling out. Dawn clutched the remote. Anya had managed to get between Willow and Tara on the couch. Willow's knuckles were turning white as she continued to gripped Tara's hand under Anya. Tara just stared at the creature.

"So Buffy, " Giles said returning from the kitchen, "how was slaying...Oh my dear lord!" He exclaimed dropping his tea cup and stepping back.

Tara finally spoke. "Umm Buffy? You do realize that there is an enormous cat next to you right?"

Buffy chuckled quietly. "Yes," she said, looking down at it once again.

"Decided to get a pet?" Xander asked, trying to lighten up the mood a bit. "You couldn't have started with a goldfish? Or a hamster?" He jested.

Everyone waited for Buffy's response. The cat sat down next to Buffy, patiently waiting as well.

"I found her on patrol. Well actually, she found me on a patrol. I was attacked by a group of vampires, and she saved me and killed a bunch of them. And then she followed me home." Buffy quickly finished, not caring to add any details.

"Yes, okay...But it's a giant C-A-T," Anya said. "And it's here. In the house. Why does it have to be in the house? Xander make it leave."

"Buffy are you sure that its safe?" Giles asked completely ignoring Anya. "If your story is accurate, then you don't know what its intentions are or if it's dangerous."

Buffy looked at Giles. "I don't know, " she shrugged. "But she saved my life out there, and she hasn't done anything to even remotely indicate that she wants to harm me. And besides, I just have this feeling that she's not dangerous."

Everyone turned their eyes back on the large form next to Buffy.

The cat was indeed beautiful. Her fur was white interrupted infrequently with black stripes. She looked similar to a White Siberian Tiger, with the exception of the sheer size difference. Even sitting, the top of her head reached Buffy's shoulders. Her dark brown eyes slowly gazed about the room, her tail slowly moving from side to side on the floor. Her coat was shiny and clean, except for the red that slowly dripped down the side of her front leg. She slowly laid down at Buffy's feet as the whole Scooby gang watched.

"She's bleeding Buffy," Tara suddenly said, shaking everyone from their trance. Tara stood up. "I'm going to go get some bandages and alcohol from upstairs."

As Tara left the room, Giles started in again. "Buffy..."

"Giles, you're just going to have to trust me on this one. She saved me, and I want to figure out what she is and why she would do such a thing. To do that, it makes sense to have her here," Buffy finished. "Plus, she sorta followed _me_ home".

"I'm sorry," Giles said taking off his glasses and cleaning them. "I agree that it makes sense to have her here under the circumstances. I'm just a bit shocked." He said looking around the room. "Everyone seems a bit shocked..."

And indeed everyone was still looking intently at the cat. Anya was now sitting very close to Willow, with Xander at her feet. Dawn had slowly inched behind the couch and was still clutching the remote. Giles stood next to the TV and was the only one beginning to look a little less tense.

"What do you want to do Buffy?" Willow finally spoke up. "I mean, what do you want to do with her? Want us to get into research mode?"

"No, not tonight. I don't think that this calls for an all night study party. We can look into to it in the morning," Buffy responded. She looked down at the cat. "I'm not too sure what I'm going to do with her..." With that, the cat looked up at her and then slowly stood up. Looking up at Buffy once more, she walked towards the TV. Giles quickly scrambled back as the cat moved closer, and stumbled into the table. Seeming to reach her destination next to the TV, she laid down again. "Oh..." Giles said when he finally realized that the cat wasn't walking towards him to eat him.

Just then Tara came down the stairs with a few bandages.

Noticing that the cat had moved, Tara looked at Buffy and handed the stuff over. "Maybe you should do it." She said sitting on the couch next to Willow, forcing Anya out of the way.

"I want to leave Xander. I don't like bunnies, and I just realized I don't like giant pussies." Anya said definitively. Dawn smirked in the corner, getting an evil look for Buffy. Xander helped Anya up as she concluded "We're leaving".

Leading Xander by the hand, Anya guided him past Buffy and out the door. "Call me in the morning Buff and let me know how it goes, " Xander called back as he was dragged away by his girlfriend.

The cat raised her head and watched the two of them leave.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Buffy?" Giles asked one more time.

"Yes," she responded. "She might as well stay here for the night, and we can figure this all out in the morning. Trust me. She's safe. You're the one who taught me to pay attention to my intuition. Well my intuition is telling me that she isn't dangerous. It'll be fine. We'll be fine." Buffy concluded.

"Alright then. I think I'll head home too and try and find some information on our mystery feline friend," Giles responded. He grabbed his coat, and headed towards the door. He leaned in towards Buffy as he passed and whispered "please be safe," and then left the house closing the door behind him.

With Anya and Xander gone, Dawn came around from behind the couch and sat next to Willow and Tara.

Buffy looked at the three of them and then cautiously approached the enormous form lying on the floor. The cat's eyes followed Buffy's movements but she didn't move. "I'm just going to patch you up," Buffy said as she knelt down next to her. She slowly unravelled one of the bandages and opened the bottle of alcohol. Buffy put her hand on its shoulder and gently applied force. The cat rolled, resting on its side. Buffy moved closer and took a look at the wound. "It's pretty deep..." Buffy said moving the hair aside.

"Dawn, can you go grab me the pair of surgical scissors from the bathroom?"

"Sure thing," she responded as she headed out the room never turning her back on the cat.

On the couch, both Willow and Tara were leaning forward, hand in hand. "She's definitely beautiful, eh Buffy?" Willow said.

"Yeah. It's funny. I always wondered what it would be like to pet something like this. And here I am, kneeling down next to a big cat in my living room," Buffy said smiling and looking at the two women on the couch.

"I often wondered the same thing," Tara replied. "She really is not going to eat us..." Tara said watching Buffy and then slowly getting up.

Buffy continued to gently pet the cat's side as Tara quietly approached and knelt down next to her. Tara tentatively reached her hand out and placed it on the cats shoulder. "Wow..." she muttered under her breath and as she began to move her hand.

The cat didn't move when Tara approached, nor when Dawn came scurrying down the stairs. Dawn passed the scissors to Buffy before quickly heading back to the couch.

Tara took her hand off as Buffy began to examine the wound again. She cut away the hair around the cut, and then reached for the alcohol bottle. "Tara you may want to back up," she said, "just in case" she added eyeing the cats head. "This may hurt her and I don't want to chance a bad reaction."

Putting pressure on the cats shoulder, Buffy slowly poured the alcohol on the cut. The cat suddenly flinched and let out a low hiss, and Buffy moved back a bit. When the cat finally relaxed again, Buffy finished cleaning and applied the bandage. Buffy put her hand on the side of the her face and whispered "all done," before getting up and moving back a bit.

"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty tired," Buffy said looking at the three women, and finishing with a glare at Dawn.

"Well I'm just sad we didn't get to finish our movie and game night," Dawn pouted as she stood up and stretched. She made her way up the stairs to get ready for bed.

"Night Dawn," both Tara and Willow called. "I'll come say goodnight before bed," Buffy added.

All three women looked back at the sleeping form on the floor and then back at each other.

Buffy inclined her head towards to the kitchen, and both Willow and Tara nodded following Buffy into the next room.

"Buffy, are you really comfortable having a huge carnivore sleep on your living room floor while Dawn, Tara and I sleep upstairs?" Willow whispered once they had entered the kitchen.

"I was actually hoping that you and Tara could do some sort of spell that would warn us if she left the living room. If not, I was planning on staying up tonight, just in case."

"I know a few spells that will work for something like that," responded Tara. "I know that I'll sleep easier knowing that I won't be eaten in the middle of the night."

Suddenly realizing the implication of her words, Tara blushed and looked down. "I...uhhh...mean th...th...that...I".

Buffy smiled at the shy blonde and said "I get, it don't worry," and winked at Willow. "We wouldn't want any eating going on tonight."

"Tara and I can do the spell from our room. We have everything up there," Willow quickly chimed in, hoping to save Tara from any further embarrassment.

"Just let me know when it's done. I'm going to stay down here with her until you guys finish up," Buffy concluded.

"Good night Buffy," Tara said as the two wiccans headed up the stairs. "I'll be down in a few to let you know," Willow added.

With that, Buffy headed back into the living room and sat on the couch, waiting for Willow's return and longing for a good night's sleep.


	3. Chapter 3 Batters Up

_Chapter Three:_

"You're being pretty quiet," Tara remarked tossing a pillow off the bed and climbing in.

Willow finishing combing her hair and joined Tara in the bed. "Did the spell tire you out?" Tara asked curling herself around Willow's body.

Willow looked pensive for a moment, and turned her head to look at Tara. "No, the spell was fine. I just…umm…well, what did you feel when you saw the cat? And as a side note, she's really going to need a name soon," Willow finished quickly.

Tara considered her words for a moment. "Well I was scared Will. I mean, giant meat-eating cat in the living room. Not something you see every day." She looked questioningly back at her girlfriend. Knowing full well that Willow was looking for something other than the obvious, she added "Why? What did you feel when you saw her?"

"Fear was definitely a big part of it, but I felt something else. It's hard to explain, but when she walked into the room it felt like, well, a mental weight." She looked up at Tara hoping she understood. Not getting a response she continued, "Like all of a sudden the air was heavier than it should have been, but it wasn't the air, it was like when you stay up all night studying and your brain is really full but you want to study more, but you can't because your head hurts. And in a last ditch effort you try to read one more page, but you physically can't…" She paused for a moment reflecting on her words. "Yes, it was like that. A mental weight and I don't know about you but…" The feel of lips on hers stopped her mid-phrase.

"I get it Will," she said before stealing another kiss. "I can honestly admit that I was pretty freaked out and didn't notice anything unusual, but maybe once the shock wears off tomorrow I'll be able to sense it".

Satisfied with the response, Willow flicked off the light, moved her body closer to Tara's and grabbed one last kiss. "It was just a weird feeling, probably nothing to get too concerned with," she added.

"You're probably right. Love you Will."

"Love you too Tare."

XXXXXXXXXX

A few minutes later…

"What about Bojangles?"

"Or Cats-Gone-Wild?"

"Or Ms. Meow-Meow?"

"Or…."

Tara suddenly rolled on top of Willow and pinned her down. "How about we think about the big cat later and right now we just focus on each other?" Tara asked, taking a definitive authoritarian voice. Willow gulped in response. "We might as well use all of this energy for something productive…" Tara began laying a trail of kisses down Willow's neck.

"Sure thing…no more naming of the giant pussy downstairs…" Willow replied gaining a playful nibble from Tara and a long night of being worn out.

XXXXXXXXXX

Feeling satisfied that the spell was completed, Buffy left the living room to do one last sweep around the house; she made sure everything was locked up. She grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen before heading back to the living room. The cat was still lying next to the TV on its side, breathing deeply. Buffy studied the form for a while, still dumbfounded at her sheer size.

Seeming to sense being watched, the cat rolled over onto its stomach and sat up facing Buffy. The cat let out a giant yawn as Buffy said "umm…Hi," and waved her hand at the creature. Still completely unsure how to communicate with it, or even knowing if she even understood, Buffy just continued talking. "If it's cool with you, you're going to sleep down here, in the living room…" she started. "We can try and sort everything out in the morning but for now I'd ask you to stay _in the living room_," she emphasized.

Buffy watched the form looking for any sign of comprehension or recognition. The cat just sat there, looking at her, until finally lying down again and going back to sleep.

I'll take that as a 'Sure, no problem Buff'. I'll stay in the living room' Buffy thought as she turned to head upstairs. A slight sound behind her caused her to turn and look at the cat once more. She seemed to be sound asleep so Buffy headed up the stairs, said goodnight to Dawn and headed to bed.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Saturday - The next morning…_

Heading downstairs with her school bag in tow, Dawn hummed to herself.

Breakfast, then studying, then movie night! She thought smiling to herself. It will be a good day, well, despite the math she added frowning. Dawn reached the bottom step and headed into the living room to throw her school bag on the couch.

"Oh…." She said stopping suddenly. She looked cautiously around the room. "I guess we forgot to turn off the TV last night…" Dawn turned off the TV, threw her bag onto the couch and headed into the kitchen for some breakfast.

XXXXXXXXXX

The scene in the kitchen that Dawn walked in on was one she would never forget. The smell of batter and pancakes filled the room. Willow stood behind Tara, with her arms wrapped around her lover's waist; both of them covered head-to-toe in batter.

The counter, the sink, the floor, the stove, the walls, the fridge… Dawn thought looking around. The ceiling…! She let out a smirk finally catching their attention.

"Oh, hi Dawnie! Good morning. How'd ya sleep?" Willow quickly asked. Dawn opened her mouth to answer, but was cut-off: "We had a bit of a fight with the mixer this morning," she said looking around the room. "Okay maybe a big fight," she finished.

Dawn just smiled at the witch, and looked over her shoulder at Tara who was quietly singing to herself. "Rounds or funny shapes this morning?"

"Definitely funny shapes" Tara answered definitively letting out a chuckle of her own. "We got a little carried away after I spilled some batter on the stove".

"Meh, no worries. I won't tell." Dawn said taking a seat at the island, as Willow picked up a cloth and started to wipe down the kitchen. "Hey Will, I think you missed a spot" Dawn said pouring a glass of orange juice and then pointing over at Tara.

Willow raised an eyebrow at Dawn and then walked over to Tara who had her back turned to them. "Dawn, don't you know? This particular job doesn't require a cloth," she said licking a patch of batter off of her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Okay I'm not sure if I should response with 'Awww Cute' or 'Ewww Gross' to that one!" Dawn exclaimed laughing.

"Well I would go with an 'Ewww' Dawn, unless you want a good talking to after breakfast," Buffy responded coming into the kitchen. "As much as I appreciate the Saturday morning food you guys," Buffy started looking around, "I really need to know how you got batter on the ceiling," she finished by eyeing the two women, simply receiving sheepish grins in response.

Tara finished stacking pancakes on everyone's plate before taking a seat next to Willow.

"So dare I ask what happened with our new pet this morning," Buffy asked, taking an enormous bite of pancakes. "She seems to be missing". She looked up when she received no response.

"Ummm, well about that," Willow started, "when I went to get some orange juice this morning, she sort of followed me out and headed off down the street. I wasn't too sure what to do, so I just let her go," she looked up awaiting a response from the slayer.

Buffy simply shrugged. "No biggie. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with her anyways, it's not like we can walk a 200 pound cat on a leash. Just makes our day easier, plus I can keep an eye out for her again tonight. No one has to cat-sit, so we can all spend the day at the Magic Box doing some research."

"What! You said I could go over to Brianne's to study today. We were going to do some math, work on our art project and bake cookies!" Dawn exclaimed sullenly.

After receiving disapproving glares from both Willow and Tara, Buffy agreed to let her go. Of course with the very clear understanding that there would be no making out with vampires. After dropping Dawn off for the day, the three women headed over to the Magic Box for a much needed Scoobie meeting.

XXXXXXXXXX


	4. Chapter 4  Sunny Days and Flesh

_Chapter 4_:

"So Giles, find anything new and exciting out?" Buffy said walking into the Magic Box and taking a seat at the Scoobie Table.

"No, not as such. I have found some references to wild animals being tamed and used as weapons around the turn of the century, but not much else," He replied.

"Well that's why we're here to help," Willow replied cheerfully and pulling a huge stack of books out of her bag. "There's nothing like a traditional Saturday spent at the Magic Box doing some research." Both Willow and Tara began delving into the Magic books they brought that referenced animals.

"Well what do you think she is?" Buffy asked. "Should we be checking for any zoo escapees, or are we definitely going with the supernatural here?"

"Considering her sheer size, the fact that she helped you slay vampires, quite successfully I might add, and the fact that she didn't try to eat any of us, I think it's fair to assume we're going with supernatural," Giles replied from behind the counter. "Although what kind of supernatural, I'm not quite sure."

"Is there anything else that you remember about last night that might be able down the search?" Giles questioned.

"Not so much. She definitely showed up when I needed her to last night though, and she did a fair number on those vamps. But other than that, there isn't a whole lot to tell. She's a big cat, she kills vampires well, and she doesn't want to eat any of us...I'm thinking it's fair to assume she's on the good side for now," Buffy finished, finally relenting and picking up a book.

"It would seem so, although I don't think I need to remind you to be careful if you run into her again. We don't know what her motives are yet. We don't even know if her motives are her own," Giles added picking up a book himself.

The Scoobies spent the better part of the morning trying to find any reference to animal taming, manifestations and control, with little success.

"You know Giles, I don't think this is going anywhere. We don't have a whole lot to go on," Willow said startling the silence of the group. "Maybe we could, ah, call it quits for the day?" She asked giving a side-long glance to Tara. "There are some other things I wouldn't mind doing today."

Before even getting a response from Giles, Buffy jumped up. "Yes, you're totally right Wills. This is going nowhere. Maybe we should just wait and see if I run into her again, or if someone gets mauled or something." The last statement receiving a disapproving glance. "And I can patrol tonight and let you guys know if anything comes up."

"Well I guess that's alright. Maybe Willow and Tara should go with you tonight though. Maybe there's some mystical explanation for her presence," he asked giving the three women a questioning glance.

"Cool, yeah, no problem here." Buffy responded.

"I'll meet you guys at the house tonight and we can leave from there," she said picking up her bag and heading for the door.

"Have a good afternoon Buff," Willow called out as Buffy left and began packing up here own things.

"One would think that she had some place urgent to be this afternoon," Giles said looking at Willow.

"No place that I'm aware of...I think Tara and I will be going now...right baby?" She said grabbing Tara's hand and heading toward the door.

"Yes well do be careful tonight," Giles called out, only receiving the clang of the bell as the door closed as a response.

"Well I don't mind spending the day with my books..." he said picking up another one and getting comfortable at the table.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Phew! I'm glad we got out of there. It's way too nice to be stuck inside reading all day," Willow said swinging Tara's clasped hand.

"I agree. Way too nice out. Did you still want to go to the park today," Tara asked. "We can go home, and I can pack us a terrific picnic with cookies, and sandwiches and lemonade..."

"Can we eat the cookies first?" Willow asked. "And snuggle in the sun and think of only happy thoughts?"

"Whatever my girl wants she gets," Tara giggled back placing a kiss on Willow's forehead.

After packing some food, they headed over to the campus park. After enjoying a nice lunch, they read and lounged around in the California sun.

Looking up from her book, Willow asked "where do you think she went this morning?"

"Who?" Tara responded flipping over on her back.

"Our Miss Kitty?"

"Oh, I'm don't know. She definitely wouldn't blend in to well around town, so she's probably in the woods somewhere, doing what cats do." Tara responded smiling up at Willow. Suddenly noticing Willow's pensive mood, she prompted "why? You worried about her?"

A few moments ticked by, Tara's concern growing slightly. "Well I guess so. I mean she can probably fend for herself, being a huge carnivore and all, but I still haven't been able to shake the feeling that I got last night. That...mental weight that I felt last night hasn't left yet," she finally answered.

"Why didn't you say anything about it earlier?" Tara asked growing concerned.

"I don't know. I just figured it would eventually go away. And it's not that bothersome," she added trying to appease the worrying look she was getting from her girlfriend. Reaching for Tara's hand she added "honestly, I'm fine."

Not completely satisfied with Willows response, Tara smiled back and tried to return to her book. "Will you do something for me though?" She finally asked looking up again. "Tell Giles next time we see him. It might help us to figure out what she is." Getting a firm nod in response from Willow, Tara returned once again to her book.

"Hey girlies!" A voice suddenly shouted from across the field. Both Willow and Tara looked up at the sound.

"Hey Xand!" Willow said as he approached. "What? No Anya at your shoulder today?"

"Nah. She said she wanted to spend some time shopping today. And supposedly I'm not a good shopping partner..." He said finally reaching them and sitting down. "Did you know about this Will? I thought I was totally down with the girl-type clothes, and the fashion sense. But apparently, no so much," he said grinning his big goofy grin. "And besides, I wanted to stop by the site today and finish up some drawings."

"How is the construction of our new library going?" Tara asked.

"Pretty good. We've got the foundation laid, and the boys are working on the framing next week. So far so good," he added. "What are you guys up to today, besides the obvious" he said looking in the picnic basket and pulling out an apple.

"Did some research this morning, without much success, and now just enjoying a quiet afternoon in the sun," Willow responded.

"So no news yet on the big kitty?"

"No luck so far. Although Buffy is pretty adamant that she's one of the good guys."

"I don't see any reason to assume otherwise. That being said, I don't necessarily want to run into her on the way home from work or anything," he said. "And everything went well at the house last night I take it. Since you're here, and not, well, cat food."

"Yeah. We went to bed pretty soon after you guys left. We did a spell to warn us if she left the living room, but nothing exciting happened. She left this morning."

"Huh," was all he responded, taking another bite of his apple. "Well if no one's getting all worked up about her, than neither am I".

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you about the..." Willow started.

A loud scream erupted from across the field.

"Spoke to soon," Xander said getting to his feet. Quickly grabbing the stake she had hidden in her backpack, Willow followed suit and the three of them jogged across the field where they heard the scream.

"You know I thought vampires still didn't like the sun," Xander said jokingly as they slowed their pace reaching the edge of the field.

"Well I'd rather be safe than sorry," Willow responded trying to pinpoint where the sound had come from.

Coming upon a large circle of people, Willow motioned for them to get closer. After making their way through the crowed they realized what everyone was looking at.

At their feet lay a huge carcass, looking pretty fresh. "Eww," was all Tara could say looking at it. "What is it?" She asked as Xander took a step closer.

"Looks like a deer, or something," he said. "Pretty mauled up though, it's hard to tell."

"There aren't very many large carnivores in this area that could take down an animal that size," someone said from the crowd.

"Maybe it was a coyote," someone offered.

"Nah . There too small to take down an animal that size. Probably a mountain lion."

Willow, Tara and Xander looked at each other knowingly.

"We should probably report this to Giles," Willow said. They nodded in response, and headed back to pack up the picnic early.

XXXXXXXXXX


	5. Chapter 5 Cat Attack

_Chapter Five: _

"It makes sense that she would need to feed, being a cat and all, although I guess I'd rather prefer she did it outside the city limits," Giles began. "There's no need to get the town all worked up about dead carcasses if it can be avoided. I'm not too sure how we can convince our furry friend of this though."

Only Willow and Tara stood across from him, Xander having left earlier.

"Perhaps if you run into her tonight, try and, umm, communicate the message?" He added.

"Will do Giles. Not quite sure how we'll do that yet, but I'm sure we can think of something," Willow replied. "We're still meeting Buffy for patrol later on tonight so we can relay the message to her then".

"Good well, thanks for giving me a heads up about the animal, it's nice to feel informed and needed," he said taking off his glasses and cleaning them.

"What do you mean? You're totally valuable and needed here. Who would be the boss of things? And tell us what to do, and keep us in line? This place would be a mad house if you weren't here," Willow quickly responded, hoping for some back up from Tara.

"Yes Mr. Giles. We definitely need you around here," Tara added shrugging at Willow when Giles didn't immediately response.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence girls, but I just don't feel it all the time. Buffy seems to be so lost in her own world lately. She reports back to me sure, and gets my advice on slaying, but she fills me in on so little else. She's been so detached lately..."

"I'm sure that it's not you. She's still dealing with Jo...her mom's death. That's a lot to take in Giles. She's trying to stay busy and we all know she's doing the best that she can. Just give her some time," Willow added trying to be both supportive of Buffy and understanding of Giles.

"Yes well, I'll continue researching our new friend and you can let me know if anything progresses tonight," he said abruptly concluding the discussion.

"Of course! We'll talk to you later," Willow said heading towards the door. When she realized that Tara hadn't follow her, she turned around. "You coming?" She called.

The disapproving look she got from Tara reminded her that she hadn't yet told Giles about the feeling she had. "Oh yeah..." she said walking back and standing next to her girlfriend.

"Umm there's something else I need to talk to you about Giles. I probably should have told you earlier but it didn't seem like a big deal. I felt an added, well, presence last night when the cat followed Buffy home. It hasn't left yet, and I can only conclude that it has something to do with her."

After questioning Willow more about the presence she felt, and feeling satisfied that he had all the details, he asked them if they believed that cat had any magical properties.

"Tara, did you sense any specific auras around her, or notice anything unusual about her energy?" He asked.

Looking down at her feet, Tara responded "Sorry Mr. Giles, bu...bu...but I was kinda of too afraid to notice anything. There might have been something there, but I wasn't focused enough to notice." Picking up on her stutter, Willow grasped her hand offering support.

"It's no problem dear. If you notice anything tonight while on patrol though, just let me know. It would also be interesting to know if it's just you that's susceptible Willow," he added.

With that, both Willow and Tara left the Magic Box and headed home.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later that night on patrol…

"Get away from her!" Tara yield racing over to Willow. Buffy beat her there, body-checking the creature and sending her stumbling into a near-by gravestone. Buffy knelt down beside her best friend, noticing quickly that she was unconscious, but still breathing. Tara was suddenly at her side, "Willow, baby? Please be okay…" she said grasping at Willow's hand. Willow stirred at the contact, but did not wake up.

"We should get her home Tara…" Buffy started, moving to pick up the still unconscious form. Noticing a movement, she suddenly moved away from Willow and turned to face the approaching cat again. "You know, you should really learn to just stay down…" Buffy threatened circling away from the two witches. Just as she was about to move in to attack, a flash of light whizzed by her head. She could feel the heat of the blast along the side of her face, and turned suddenly to look back at where the witches were.

Tara's arms were outstretched, and she had a very determined look on her face. She glanced at the creature once more to make sure that it wasn't getting back up, and then she knelt down next to Willow again, quickly grasping her hand.

"Wow, Tara that was some spell. But, I could have handled it," Buffy said moving a bit more cautiously to the two witches.

"No one hurts her Buffy, no one," was the only response she got from the blonde witch.

"I know, you just surprised me is all," Buffy replied shrugging her shoulders. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and began dialling.

"Who are you calling," Tara asked, her eyes never leaving Willow.

"Giles. I want him to bring the gun and we could also get Willow to the hospital a lot quicker if I didn't have to carry her there. Even despite the super human strength," she added.

Giles arrived ten minutes later, with the gun in tow. He moved to help Tara get Willow to the car after handing off the gun to Buffy. Checking to make sure it was loaded, Buffy headed over to where the cat was still lying. The cat hadn't moved yet, and Buffy could see the burn marks on her chest of where Tara's magic had hit her. It was still breathing, taking slow and ragged breaths, obviously in some pain. Lucky you're still unconscious Buffy thought to herself taking aim. Otherwise I'd have to enjoy myself beating the crap out of you for hurting Willow.

Just as Giles closed the door after making sure Willow was settled in the back seat, he heard the gun go off. He quickly glanced over to where Buffy was standing to make sure she was alright, and then satisfied; he got into the car himself.

"What do you want to do with her?" He asked as Buffy slid into the passenger seat. "Not sure yet," was the only response he got from his slayer.

As Giles started the car, a moan escaped from Willow in the backseat. "Will?" Tara questioned trying to position herself so she could see her better. Willow was sprawled out on the backseat, resting against Tara's body. "What happened…" she mumbled moving her head slowly from side to side. "You were unconscious baby. We're going to take you to the hospital now to get you checked out," she responded, pushing some hair gently away from Willow's face. Willow fully leaned back against Tara as the car moved forward.

Suddenly fully understanding what Tara had said, Willow responded, "I don't want to go to the hospital. I'm fine…" she added for some reassurance, although her shaky voice betrayed her.

"Will, hun. You were unconscious for a while. Let's just make sure that you're 100% okay and then we can take you home. I promise lots of snuggles."

Willow looked up at her and knew that Tara wasn't going to let her out of this. Letting out a sigh she nodded in agreement, resting once again against her lover.

XXXXXXXXXX

After dropping Willow and Tara off at the hospital and ensuring that Willow would be alright, Giles and Buffy returned to the cemetary.

"You sure this is a good idea Buffy?" Giles said opening up the trunk of the SUV.

"We can't just leave it out here," she responded motioning to the form lying on the ground. "And besides, we want to figure out exactly what she is. If she gets eaten by some demon tonight, it will make our job a lot harder."

Buffy dragged the body closer to the car and lifted her into the trunk. Giles slammed it down after her, and both of them climbed into the car.

"I agree with you there, I'm just a little concerned about Tara's reaction. And for that matter, Willow's when she wakes up." Giles started the car as they headed towards Buffy's house.

"Well until we figure out more of what we're up against here, we don't have to tell them. We can keep her in the basement, out of the way," was all she responded.


	6. Chapter 6 Kinda Dead

_Chapter 6 The Epic Beginning _

Having locked the door leading to the basement, Buffy was feeling pretty secure in having the cat back in the house. Why she was so adamant on bring it back home, she hadn't quite figured out. She trusted the strength of the lock though, and knew that Dawn and the others would be safe so long as it stayed downstairs and out of the way. Confronting the defensive Tara and the injured Willow when they got back from the hospital would be another story though.

After getting the all clear from the Doctor that Willow would be fine but just need some bed rest, Buffy had left the two Wiccans at the hospital with clear instructions to give her a call when they needed a ride home. Having dealt with the cat, all Buffy had to do now was wait for the phone to ring.

"You know Buffy, if you're just going to stand there you might as well help me with the research," Giles said ending the silence and entering the kitchen with his empty coffee cup. "I still can't figure out why the cat signalled out Willow based on your description of the attack. You said that she didn't jump or claw at Willow? She just ran at her and knocked her to the ground?" Giles asked with his now full cup of coffee in his hand.

"That's the just of it. We had just crossed the street when I sensed that she was around. I told Willow and Tara to wait on the sidewalk as I stepped into the bushes. Willow said that she could sense something too when she got slammed into the ground. The cat landed on the other side of her. She must have been in the tree or on top of the mausoleum because I did not see it coming. Tara was pushed to the side in all the commotion. Willow moved to get up, but the cat put its paw right on her chest. I reached Willow, body checked the cat off of her and sent her careening into a tombstone. Tara was by Willow's side in a second. When the cat tried to get up again, I was ready to take her down, but Tara did some sort of spell. That's why there are burn marks all over the cat's fur," Buffy finished.

Giles didn't respond immediately, taking a few sips of his coffee.

"It does seem a bit odd..." Giles finally said. Getting a blank look from Buffy, he continued "Well the cat obviously didn't want to physically maim or kill her, which begs the question what was the purpose of the attack?" He asked almost to himself.

"Well all I know is that Willow was specifically signalled out, and got hurt in the process. In my books, that's not okay, whatever the intentions." Buffy said following Giles into the living room.

"Well perhaps Willow or Tara can shed some more light on tonight's events. Maybe there is something else going on. In the meantime, I am still trying to find out exactly what this cat is. Aside from the biological features, we should assume there is more than meets the eye."

As Giles sat down to go through some more books, Buffy looked at the phone willing it to ring before deciding to take a seat next to Giles on the couch to help with the research.

XXXXXXXXXX

By the time Willow had been poked and prodded for the 4th time since arriving at the hospital, she was ready to go home. The Doctor said that there was no apparent head injury, but that she should probably take it easy on bed rest for a while. Choosing to get dressed and leave before having to endure another concussion check, Willow was putting on her shoes just as Tara entered her room.

"I'm so glad you're here," Willow said "I can't wait to go home and..."

"What do you think you're doing Will? The Doctor said you should spend a few hours here, just to make sure that your fainting wasn't anything serious," Tara cut in shooting her girlfriend a questioning glance.

Willow didn't slow down tying up her shoes. "Honestly Tara, I'm fine. I didn't hit my head, nor do I even have a scratch on me. The Doctor's won't find anything," she said finally standing up and grabbing her coat.

"Are you saying that there is something to find?"

Willow didn't respond right away. Knowing that she wouldn't be allowed to leave the room till she answered the question, Willow answered. "Maybe."

"That's not going to cut it Will. What's going on? You know that I'm just concerned." Tara said moving towards Willow and placing the redheads hands in hers.

"I don't think the cat attacked me," Willow finally answered looking directly into Tara's eyes.

Trying not to doubt her girlfriend, Tara just waiting for a further explanation. "When we were on patrol, that mental weight that I told you about was still there. It actually got a bit worse as we moved closer to downtown. Right before I got jumped, I felt something shift, but it was mystical this time. Like something was draining my energy?" She said questioning to Tara. "Did you sense something?"

Taking a moment to recall the night's events, Tara remained quiet for a few moments. "No, I didn't. I remember Buffy stepping into the bushes, and then I was knocked sideways when you were taken down. Is it possible that what you were feeling was part of the attack." Willow was shaking her head before she even finished asking the question.

"That's just it. When the cat landed on top of me, I felt my strength return. My head was clear again, and I didn't feel anything trying to siphon off my powers. " Willow looked at Tara, trying to gauge her reaction.

"It's possible she was protecting me..." Willow finally concluded thinking out loud to herself.

Tara didn't meet Willows eyes. "What's wrong honey?" Willow finally asked when Tara didn't kept quiet.

"I thought you were being attacked Will. I may have over reacted a bit when the cat got back up." Tara responded.

"Why? What did you do?" Willow quietly asked growing concerned over her lovers obvious guilt.

"I cast and knocked her down," Tara met Willows eyes. "Buffy called Giles and told him to pick us up. He brought the gun." Willows eyes began to water. "Buffy shot her Will," Tara finally concluded.

"Oh," was the only sound that escaped Willows lips as Tara enveloped her in a big hug.

"I'm so sorry Will," she said still holding on to her. "We can give Buffy and Giles a call to see if they've found something out. Maybe there's an answer that explains all of this".

XXXXXXXXXX


End file.
